Actor From "The Sopranos" Commits Suicide

Sad news to share: John Costelloe, the actor who played the gay cook Jim "Johnny Cakes" Witowski on The Sopranos, committed suicide just before Christmas.

According to press reports, police went to Costelloe's Brooklyn home on December 18 looking for the 47-year-old actor because family members had been unable to reach him—he was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

As fans of The Sopranos will remember, Costelloe's Johnny Cakes was a short-order cook/volunteer firefighter and the gay lover of closeted mobster Vito Spatafore.

Joseph Gannascoli, the actor who played Spatafore, told the New York Post that he was shocked to hear that Costelloe killed himself. "It still hasn't really sunk in. I never detected anything troubling about him," Gannascoli said. "I enjoyed all the time I ever spent with him."

Gannascoli and actor Steve Buscemi were among those who attended Costelloe's wake and funeral. The New York Post notes that Buscemi, who also appeared on The Sopranos, knew Costelloe back when they were both New York City firefighters.

While Costelloe was best known for his role on the 2006 season of The Sopranos, the former firefighter also appeared in films including Last Exit to Brooklyn, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Die Hard 2 and Doubt, which is currently in theaters.

At the time of his death, Costelloe was starring in the off-Broadway play Gang of Seven as a fast-talking hustler. The New York Post reports that the actor received rave reviews for his work in the production—two of the glowing reviews were actually printed the day after Costelloe died.

Were you a fan of Costelloe's work on The Sopranos? Share your remembrances here.

Image courtesy HBO

Comments

[david]

i cant believe you didnt ancwer if the guy was really gay or not

[eli]

Talk about being a tad bit late with current events. Now try stimulating us with some articles of interest.

[Eddie Boone-Lewis]

OH MAN .. and I saw GANG OF SEVEN .. he was truly a credit to being an "actor" ..

[oldkingtroll]

Whether he was gay or not seems irrelevant.

What seems relevant to THIS particular story is that no one seems to know why he commited suicide. Having survived my older brother's suicide many years ago, I can vouch that not a day goes by that I do not ask myself: Why?

My condolences to this troubled man's family. May they come to understand why he took a permanent solution to what was probably a temporary (even if psychologically severe) problem. May they find peace in knowing that there was nothing they could have done. And may their memories of him provide them a measure of comfort, if not happiness.

[SUEDE]

So Sad...
U will be greatly missed John..
xoxox
S

[Kevin]

Anyone know if he was gay?

[sirald66]

[everyone's sexuality does not have to be questioned; John simply played a gay character]

As to suicide, it usually is a permanent solution to a temporary problem; in terminal cases, I full appreciate euthanasia and the personal choice to end suffering.

Note, that nearly all people who survived jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge wanted to live the moment they did it. Its less about wanting to die and more about not having hope.

[Erik]

Joe Gannascoli and John Costelloe were brilliant in thier respective roles as closeted bull queers. I give the producers of the Soprano's a ton of credit for portraying the characters in this way which is very true to form. Most bisexual or homosexual men are just like Johnny Cakes Witowski and Vito Spatafore

[rjcnj35]

He was not gay, he had a wife and kids.

[cowboyneok]

For any of those who do not understand. Do not TRY to understand. You never will unless you are in the shoes of the person who chooses to kill themselves. All we can do is express our condolences to the survivors. Those who have never experienced mental illness or come close to suicide do not understand just how hopeless and permanent their situation seems, even if it is not. "A permanent solution to a temporary problem," only makes sense if you are in your right mind. May he rest in peace!

[Gene]

Don't try and make sence of what seems to be, what everyone is going to face. A good, a bad, or hurtful goodbye. Which will you have. I will always remember. You are alive, as you have always been. I will truely miss you. I hope you find what you went looking for. See ya later, I'm sure.

[XxMostly_CloudyxX]

Suicide is so sad. I think that some people consider it because they lack hope. Drugs, alcohol, depression... it can get the best of some people.